Track-belt unit



E. H. SAVAGE.

TRACK BELT UNIT.

APPLICATION FILED IuLY 17.1920.

INVENTOR I f7- gj 1 ATTORNEYS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWIN H. SAVAGE, 0F CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE CLEVELAND TRACTORCOMPANY, OF EUCLID, OHIO, A. CORPORATIONV OF OHIO.

TRACK-BELT UNIT.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Jan. 17, 1922 Application ledJuly 17, 1920. Serial No. 397,005.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWIN H. SAVAGE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Cleveland in the county of Cuyahoga and State of hio, haveinvented a. certain new and useful Improvement in Track- Belt Units, ofwhich the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention is in the nature of an improvement upon the track beltand track belts units shown and described in the application of RollinH. White, filed July 17, 1920, Serial No. 396,955.

The object of the invention is to produce the pressed steel track belt,suitable for use in connection with a track laying tractor, which issomewhat cheaper and possibly a little stronger than the trackbelt'disclosed in said White application.

The invent-ion consists in the construction and combination of partsshown in theplane of line 4-4 on Fig. 2. and Fig. 5 is a verticaltransverse sectional view in the plane of line 5 5 on Fig. 2.

Each unit is made of two pieces of pressed or rolled metal, to wit, abottom plate 10 and a rail member 2O which is secured upon the bottomplate. The bottom plate 10 is preferably cut from a rolled bar havingone edge, which becomes the rear end of the bottom plate, slightlycurved up ward, and having at its other edge, which becomes the frontend of the bottom plate. a downwardly bent rib 12 which will serve as aground engaging grouser. When the plate 1s connected with the railmember and the track portion of the rail member is in a substantiallyhorizontal position. as shown. the bottom plate will incline upward fromits front to its rear end slightly; and when two of these links areconnected, as shown, the rear upwardly curved end of the bottom platewill lap over the lower front end of the bottom plate of the next link.

The rail member 20 is formed from a fiat bla-nk of sheet metal,preferably steel, so

shaped and bent as to have the integral parts now to be specified. Themiddle part of the blank serves as a track plate 23 for track wheelscarried by the tractor to run on. This rail member is considerablynarrower than the bottom member as appears and along both sides of thetrack plate, the metal is bent upward and then downward, `forming theupwardly extended inverted U-shaped ribs 24 whose outer edges areextended downward in parallel vertical positions to form the rail sides21, the lower edges of which rest upon the upper face of the bottomplate 10. At the rear end of the track plate and below the same is thetransversely extended sleeve 25, which is produced by bending a. tonguewhich is integral with and extends rearward from the rail plate. Thistongue is bent downward and forward and upward and into contact with thelower face of the track plate to which it 1s secured by welding or othersuitable means. The lower part of this sleeve rests upon and is securedto the bottom plate by means of an integral tongue 26 which is pressedout of the metal of which the sleeve is formed and is passed through ahole in the bottom plata-'the projecting lower end of said` tongue beingupset against the bottom plate. This sleeve forms an eifective supportfor the rear end of the track plate 23. It embraces and fits tightlyaround a bushing 41 whose length is substantially equal to the length ofthe sleeve. The downturned sides 21 of the rail member project in frontof the track plate 23 in the form of ears 27. The. lower edge of each ofthese ears and of the adjacent portion of the rail sides 21 is bentlaterally outward in the forni of a foot 28 which rests upon the upperface of the bottom plate. yThe outer edge of each of these horlzontalfeet at the front end thereof is bent up into vertical position to forman associated ear 29 which is parallel withbut spaced away from thenearby ear 27. Behind these ears 27 the outer edges of these feet 28 arebent down in the form of tongues 28a which go through slots in thebottom plate and have their projecting lower ends upset against saidbottom plate.

The transverse length of each of the sleeves 25 at the rear end of thetrack plate 23 is such that a sleeve 25 on one unit may pass between thetwo ears 27 at the front end of the next unit. The ears 27 and 29 atboth sides of the member 20 are provided with ali ned round holes which,when a sleeve 25 1s between a pair of ears 27 on the next link, will bealigned with the bushing 41 1n such sleeve. When these holes and sleeveare so aligned, the two links are pivoterl together by means of the pin30 which passes through the. sleeve 41 and through bothears 27 andthrough both ears 29. This pin 1s cylindrical, and two rollers 42 arerotatably mounted thereon in the spaces between the ears 27 and theirassociated ears 29. l

In Fig. 1 in particular it will be noted that the sleeve 25 is slightlylonger than the width of the track plate 23. At the ends of this sleeveare upwardly bent flanges 25 which are in alignment with the U-shapedgrooves on the under side of the track plate 23 produced by the upwardlybent U-shaped ribs. When the two links are assembled these flanges 25nwill project beneath the track plate and into these groovessubstantially as shown vin Figs. 1 and 2.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A track belt unit comprising a bottom plate and a rail member, saidrail member having a track late of which one end is in the form of a seeve and two link sides depending from said track plate secured to saidbottom plate, a portion of each link side being extended outward andthen upward to form an ear.-

2. A pressed metal track belt unit comprising a bottom plate, and railmember secured thereto, said rail member consisting of a. single pieceof sheet metal having a track plate a transverse sleeve at the rear ofsaid track late and link sides depending from the si es of said trackplate and ears which are bent up from saidsides adjacent their frontends.

The pressed metal track belt unit, comp'lslng a bottom plate, and therail memr having a track plate and rail sides which are bent down fromsaid track plate and four parallel ears,-of which the two inside earsare forward extensions of the two rail sides, and the two outside earsare upwardly bent parts of said forward extensions.

The pgessed metal track belt unit, comprislng a 4ttom plate, and therail member having a track plate and rail sides which are bent down fromsaid track plate and four parallel ears,-of`which the two inside earsare forward extensions of the two rail sides, andthe two outside earsare upwardly bent parts of said forward extensions, and said track platebeing bent down at its rear end to forma horzontal transversely extendedsleeve.

5. A track belt made up of a plurality of ivoted together units, eachcom rising a tom plate, and a. rail member aving a track plate and sideswhich are bent down from said track plate and four horizontal ears ofwhich the two inside ears are forward extensions of the two rail sides,and the two outside earsv are formed by bending upward parts of saidforward extensions, and said track plate being bent down at its rear endinto the form of a horizontal transversely extended sleeve, the sleeveof each unit being located between the two inside ears of the adjacentunit, a pivot pin which passes through `each sleeve and through the fourears of the adjacent unit, and rollers loosely mountedv on said pivotpin between ears.

6. A track belt unit comprising, in combination, a bottom plate, and arail member secured thereon,-said rail member having a centrallydisposed longitudinally extended track plate, the side edges of whichare bent upward and then downward to form inverted U-shaped ribs andrail sides whose lower edges rest upon the bottom plate, said railmember having at its rear end an integral transverse sleeve which restsupon and is secured to the bottom plate, and the front ends of said railsides being extended forward of the track plate in the form of ears, thelower edges of said ears and adjacent parts of the rail sides being bentlaterally outward to form feet which rest upon and are secured to thebottom plate, the outer edges of said feet being bent upward to formears`which lie outside of and parallel with the ears which are forwardcontinuations of the rail sides.

7. A track belt unit comprising, in combination,'a bottom plate, and arail member secured thereon,-said rail member having a centrallydisposed longitudinally extended track plate, the side edges of whichare bent upward and then downward to form inverted U-shaped ribs andrail sides whose lower edges rest upon the bottom plate,said rail memberhaving at its rear end an integral transverse sleeve which rests uponand is secured to the bottom plate, and the front ends of said railsides being extended forward of the track plate in the form or ears, thelower edges of said ears and adjacent parts of the rail sides being bentlaterally outward to form feet which rest upon and are secured to thebottom plate, the outer edges of said feet being bent upward to formears which lie outside of and parallel with the ears which are forwardcontnuations of the rail sides, the transverse sleeve having at its endsoutwardly yextended flanges which are aligned with the U- slliapedgrooves at the edges of the. track ate.

p 8. A track belt made of similar units, each of which com rises, incombination, a bottom plate, an a rail member secured thereon,--saidrail member having la centrally disposed longitudinallyextended trackplate the side edges of which are bent upward and then downward to forminverted U-shaped ribs and rail sides whose lower edges rest upon thebottom plata-said rail member having at its rear end an integraltransverse sleeve which rests upon and is secured to the bottom plate,and the front ends of said rail sides being extended forward of thetrack plate in the form of ears the lower edges, of said ears andadjacent parts of the rail sides being bent laterally outward to formfeet which rest upon and are secured to the bottom plate,the outer edgesof said feet being bent upward to form ears which lie outside of andparallel with the ears which are forward continuations of thev railsides, the transverse sleeve at the rear end of each link being disposedbetween the ears a-t the front ends of adjacent link sides, a transversepivot pin passing through the four ears at the front end of each linkand the associated sleeve at the rear end of the adjacent link.

9. A track belt made of similar units, each of which comprises, incombination, a bottom plate, and a rail member secured thereon,said railmember having' a centrally disposed longitudinally extended track platethe side edges of which are bent upward and then downward to forminverted U-shaped ribs and rail sides whose lower edges rest upon thebottom plate,-said rail member having at its rear end an integraltransverse sleeve which rests upon and is secured to the bottom plate,and the front ends of said rail sides being extended forward of thetrack plate in the form of ears the lower edges of said ears andadjacent parts of the rail sides being bent laterally outward to formfeet which rest upon and are secured to the bottom plate,the outer edgesof said feet being bent upward to form ears which lie outside of andparallel with the ears which are for man ear,

forward continuations of the rail sides, the depending sleeve at therear end of each link being disposed between the ears at the front endsof adjacent links, a transverse pivot pin passing through the four earsat the 'front end of each link and the associated sleeve at the rearendof the adjacent link, and rollers rotatably mounted upon said pivot pinlocated respectively between the two pairs of ears at each side of theunit.

10. A track belt unit comprising a bottom plate, and a rail member, saidrail member having a track plate and link sides 'depending from saidtrack plate secured to said bottom plate, a portion of each link side-being extended outwardly and then upward to form an ear.

l1. A track belt unit comprising a bottom plate and a rail member, saidrail member consisting of a single piece of sheet metal bent to form atrack plate, link sides depending from said track plate and ears whichextend upward from said sides adjacent their front ends.

12. A track belt unit comprising a bottom plate and a rail member, saidrail member having a track plate and link sides depending from saidtrack plate, a ortion of each link side being extended ou wardly andsecured to said bottom pla-te and then upward to form an ear.

13. A track belt unit comprising a bottom plate having openings thereinand a rail member, said rail member having a track plate and link sidesdepending from said track plate, a portion of each link side beingextended outwardly and then upward to said ear having a tongue bent downand extending through an opening in said bottom plate and securedthereto.

. In testimony whereof, I hereunto aix my signature.

EDWIN H. SAVAGE.

